Students read a section of informational text and summarized the text on a post-it note.  There were a total of four sections of text and students were each assigned one section.  After students finished summarizing the assigned section, they placed their post-it note on a poster titled with the section they read.  The posters for each section were hung around the classroom.  Students circulated around the room to gather data from the sections they did not summarize.  Once they finished collecting data, students scanned eight QR codes that were linked to a comprehension question for the text.  Students used the data they gathered to answer the comprehension questions.  Students without a device could access the same comprehension questions through Mrs. Keve’s website on one of the classroom computers. 

 By simply allowing kids the opportunity to use their mobile devices, students were engaged and on task. Keve stated that “Students who are typically disinterested were involved and couldn’t wait to scan the next code.  The instructional focus was no longer on me as a teacher; the students became their own teachers as they worked through this self-paced lesson.”  Another important aspect of using technology for instruction Keve suggested was: “Having a back-up plan! A file that works on your teacher computer may suddenly not work when a student tries to access it or a student’s mobile device will stop working for no apparent reason. Not all students have a mobile device, and they shouldn’t be left out of the fun because of it.  Allow them to use the student computers or some other type of technology.”

 Keve benefited from the Techno Expo offered by TCMS in January, which exposed teachers to various instructional technology tools used in classrooms today. Mr. Hugans, TCMS Assistant Principal is impressed with TCUE/TCMS teacher’s response from the Techno Expo. “Any tool teachers can use to instructionally engage students is a benefit. Technology is just one of the tools teachers have in their repertoire to help increase student performance and provide exposure to real world applications.”